Russian Ambassador to the EU: Moscow is ready pursue military cooperation with Europe

Russia’s Ambassador to the EU, Vladimir Chizhov, stated in an interview with Die Welt that Moscow is open to holding intensive mutual dialogue with the European Union on key foreign policy issues and that it is ready for military cooperation.

“It is possible to imagine that the Russian Army can participate in the operations of the European Union,” the diplomat stated. According to him, Moscow and Brussels are already closely cooperating in missions against pirates in Somalia, operations in the Republic of Chad, and in the Balkans.

Chizhov noted that the main purpose of such interaction is the maintenance of stable and constructive cooperation in crises. “Such operations should be under the European and Russian command alternately, while remaining under the auspices of the United Nations,” Chizhov noted.

Chizhov also added that the European Union remains an important partner of the Russian Federation in trade-economic issues. In 2014, a number of countries, including the United States and EU member States, imposed sanctions against Moscow due to Russia’s annexation of the Crimea and the Kremlin’s participation in the conflict in southeastern Ukraine.